Monthly Archives: August 2011

13 Quick Thoughts About Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part Two

1. It’s really good. Fantastic even, everything the previous movie failed to get right, this one does. The last one was “Harry Potter and getting the plot out of the way.” This is “Harry Potter and the Magical Explosion Fest”. … Continue reading

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Football 11/12: Gunner Loyalty

There is very little to be said for a team strategy that consists of selling your best players, not replacing them, then leaving your untested youngsters out to dry against the league champions. The utter demolition job of Arsenal by … Continue reading

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Moments In Irish Presidential History: Eamon De Valera And the 1966 Election

Eamon De Valera is the towering figure of Irish history in the 20th century. A commander of the Easter Rising, the political figure at the head of the early Dail, anti-Treaty hard-liner, Fianna Fail founder, multi-term Taoiseach, leader during World … Continue reading

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The Lord Of The Rings, Chapter By Chapter: Of Herbs And Stewed Rabbit

It is a pretty off chapter title isn’t it? It’s the first few pages of this chapter that might show just why Book Four is so disliked, in that it is very, very boring. It’s more travelling, more dour or … Continue reading

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Football 11/12: On The Other Hand…

…maybe we can just ignore my last.

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Football 11/12: The European Divide

One of my work colleagues is a big fan of Irish club Shamrock Rovers. Big time, is always talking about them, their league performances. But, last Thursday, this didn’t show. Shamrock Rovers were playing Partisan Belgrade in the Europe League … Continue reading

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The Libya Myths

To address some of the things I’m seeing and reading today, a sort of “history written by the victors” that is incredibly premature, a distortion of the truth that is sickening in its flag-waving nature. 1. The rebels did not … Continue reading

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Moments In Irish Presidential History: Sean T. O’Kelly And The Pope

Sean T. O’Kelly was the first person elected by popular vote to the office, in 1945. He was a Fianna Fail hardliner, noted for his anti-Treaty sentiments during the Civil War, his loyalty to De Valera, and, as I will … Continue reading

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The Lord Of The Rings, Chapter By Chapter: The Black Gate Is Closed

We’ve reached a very important point in the story, as the Ring-bearer arrives at the borders of Mordor, and we’re greeted with one of the great unexplained plot holes. This chapter opens up with one of Tolkien’s typically brilliant descriptions … Continue reading

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Nine Quick Thoughts About Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows

Just the film again, and this film is very, very boring. Just so slow and mundane, as the trio spend hours wandering around a forest. It’s clear that this one is just nothing but set-up and getting the majority of … Continue reading

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